End-gate fastener.



A. 1". WILLIAMS.

END GATE FASTENER. APPLIOATION FILED D30. 22, 1908.

930,585. v Patented Aug. 10,1909.

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A. F. WILLIAMS. END GATE FASTENBR.

APPLICATION FILED D110. 22, 1908.

- 930,585. Patented Aug". 10,1909.

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ALEXANDER r. WILLIAMS, or vioroa, COLORADO.

END-GATE FASTENEB.

Application filed December 22, 1908. Serial No. 38,818.

T all whom it may concern:

Beit known that LALEXANDER F. VVIL- LIAMs, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Victor, in the county of Teller, State of Colorado,have invented certain new and use ful lmprovements in End-GateFasteners; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear;and exact description of the invention, such as will enable othersskilled in the art to which it appcrtains to make and use the same.

The invention relates to an end gate fas toner and more particularly tothe class of fastening devices for end or tail gates of wagons, trucksor the like.

The primary object of the invention is the provision of an end or tailgate fastener by which the end or tail gate of a wagon is firmly held ina closed position within the latter so as to prevent the rattling anddisplacement of the gate by jolting or jarring of the Wagon or the likeduring the travel thereof.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a fastening devicefor end or tail gates of wagons in which the side and end walls of thelatter are held against accidental displacement should any sudden joltsor jars occur during the travel ofthe wagon or the like and to preventthe walls thereof from bulging or separating at their joined ends whensu portlng a heavy or excessive load of mkateria within the body of thewagon or the li e. v

A further object of the invention is the provision of an end or tailgate fastener which is simple in construction, durable, easily andquickly manipulated, efficient in operation, and inexpensive in themanufacture.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists in theconstruction, combination and arrangement of elements or parts as willbe hereinafter fully described in detail, illustrated in theaccompanying drawings which disclose the preferred form of embodiment ofthe invention and as brought out in the appended claim.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a side elevation of a wagon body with theinvention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is an opposite side elevation. Fig. 3is an end elevation. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the tie rod andclamp. Fig. 5 is a fragmentary top plan view of one end of the wagonbody. 7

Similar reference characters indicate cor- Specification of LettersPatent.

Patented Aug. 10, 1909.

responding parts throughout the several views in' the drawings.

in the drawings, the numeral 8 designates generally a wagon body whichcomprises bottom 9, lower side walls or boards 10, and end or tail gates11. Mounted upon the upper longitudinal edges of the lower side boardsor walls 10 are removable upper or supplemental side boards 12 whichlatter have secured thereto O11 opposite faces depending cleats 13 toengage the lower side boards or walls so as to prevent lateraldisplacement and enable the mounting of the upper side boards thereon.Superposed upon each end or tail gate 11 is a supplemental tail or endgate 14 which latter and the supplemental side boards or walls areprovided to increase the hauling capacity of the wagon body when theoccasion demands.

At opposite ends and secured to the inner faces of the upper and lowerside boards or walls are spaced guide strips 15 between which areadapted to slide the end or tail gates 11 and 14 so that the same can bebrought to a closed position or removed from the wagon body. On theouter faces near opposite edges of the end or tail gates 11 and 14 aresecured reinforcing bars or strips 16 which latter serve to strengthenthe same and prevent the splitting or destruction thereof whenencountered with rough usage.

In the end edges of the upper and lower side boards or walls 10 and 12are formed registering recesses 17 with which latter aline recesses 18formed in the reinforcing strips 16 on the end or tail gates and withinwhich recesses are adapted to be mounted tie rods 19 each having formedat one end a cross head 20 which latter is adapted to be brought intoengagement with hook spring fingers 21 formed integral with and cut frombearing plates 22 which are secured to the outer faces of both upper andlower side boards or walls 10 and 12. The opposite end of each tie rod19 is threaded to engage and permit adjustment of a pivot 23 to which iseccentrically connected a clamping lever 24 which latter is providedwith a cam head 25 having a slot 26 which virtually causes said head toconsist of two cheek plates 27 to permit movement of the lever 24 and toaccommodate the tie rod 19 therebetween.

Secured to the outer faces of the upper and lower side boards or walls10 and 12 are hearing plates 28 each of which has formed therev the tierod from the wagon body.

What is claimed isr In a tail gate fastener, the combination with awagon body and its tail gate of guide cleats secured to opposite innerfaces 01' the displacement.

in spaced parallel grooves or channels 29 which are engaged by the cheekplates 27 of the cam head 25 when the lever is shifted in one directionto securely lock the tie rod 19 r in its working position across thebody of the wagon to hold the end or tail gate against Secured to thereinforcing bars or strips 16 are metal wearing straps 30 which underliethe tie rod 19 when mounted in the recesses 18' so as to prevent saidtie rod from wearing away the wood structure or material forming the endor tail gate.

It is obvious that due to the spring fingers 21 engaging the cross headof the tie rod 19 the same will serve to tension the latter when the'lever 24 has been shifted to lock the tie rod in the wagon body so as toprevent the said lever from becoming accidentally unlockedwhich wouldresult in the "l'reeing of body near one end thereof for detachably receiving the tail gate, bearing plates secured eXteriorly to oppositesides 01' the wagon. body, outwardly curled spring fingers formed on oneof said plates, the other of said plates containing spaced parallelgrooves, cleats fixed to the tail gate and containing alining notches, atie rod fitted in said notches and extending across the end of the wagonbody, a cross head fixed to one end of the tie rod and engaged by thespring fingers, a pivot member adjustably threaded on the opposite endof the tie rod, and a lever mounted upon said pivot member and havingspaced parallel cam cheeks adapted to engage the grooves in one bearingplate when the lever is actuated in one direction to lock the tie rodagainst displacement.

In testimony whereof, I allix my signature, in presence of twowitnesses.

ALEXANDER F. WILLIAMS. Witnesses: CHAS. M. STRICKLER, BRUCE V. WILLIAMs.

